Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1887-08-05
WESTERN FEARNAUGHT is NOTA
SON OF FEARNAUGHT.- FACTS
TO SUBSTANTlATE THE CHARGE.


Mr.. EDITOR Il have perused the com
munication of Mr.. +. l.. Norcross in the
May number of your magazine, wherein
he attempts to refute my charge of fraud
in the pedigree of this somewhat celebra-
ted sire. Not being in the habit of max
ing unauthorized statements or having
my motives called into question, | have
felt it a duty to present to the public such
an array of testimony in this case as
shall forever set the matter at rest. re-
lieving Mr.. Smith, no less than myself
from the utterly ungrounded assumptions
to be gathered from the article of the
gentleman in question.
have no quarrel with Mr.. Norcross
and not the slightest desire to do him or
his horse an injustice. and if in the
course of my writings | have used any
purely imaginative composition which
may he construed into undue personal
familiarity where none really exists. he
is certainly entitled to an apology. Fur
thermore, Mr.. Norcross is informed that
the writer hereof is not breeder, has
not cent invested in any animal for
breeding purposes, has no sporting pro-
clvities whatever and no desire for such
equivoca distinction. Hence if any eX-
cuse is necessary tor padding in these
turbi" waters, !; must be gathered only
from lifelong interest in all tiiat con-
no I'm of no
which in his estimation is no less an ami
nal than the American trotter of fault
less lineage.
TO create new era in the literature of
the horse and to completely overthrow
all previous historical fact, it will only be
necessary for Mr.. Norcross to prove from
the record and from actual results that
the crown should fall upon Fearnaught
and his descendants, to quote his own
words, as ''the finest family of horses
that was ever bred" Disinterested labor
from any source which, even in slight
degree, tends to the discontinue of the
stalled frauds who have fatted on the
filth of bombastic fustian, unfounded as
sertion and ridiculous assumption. ought
to be welcomed by every honest and in
telligent breeder. If my occasional and
comparatively humble efforts have in any
way contributed to this end it is enough,
and am content.
1t is my purpose to trace Western Fear
naught, formerly Minoken Boy, through
the medium of sworn statements. from
his breeder, John Bragdon of Wells.
Maine, directly into the hands of William
to Benjamin 5. Wright of Boston. They
tell their own story in Il plain, straight
forward way, and prove without even the
shadow of a doubt that his sire was, as |
before asserted, Danville Boy, Jr., some
times called the Billings colt and after
castration Frank, by Danvlle Boy, full
brother to Draco, by Young Morrill, per
kinsO. The afiidavits are as follows:
|, John Bragdon of Wells, Maine, bred
the stallion called Minoken Boy, which
was owned by B. S. Wright of Boston,
Mass, in 1867. l sold said colt to Mr..
Albert McCrillis of North Berwick, Me-,
in the fall of 1854 for seventy-tive dol
lars. His sire was called Danville Boy
Jr. and known as the Billings colt or
horse, and was owned by Hiram Billings
of North Berwick, Me. Mr.. Billings
told me that his horse was sired by Dan
vile Boy. Mr.. Albert McCrillis sold said
colt to William Paul of Sanford, Maine,
at eighteen months of age. At three
years of age Mr.. Paul sold said colt to
Mr.. B. 5. Wright of Boston, Mass, The |
dam of Minoken Boy | bought of my
brother Thaddeus Bragdon of Lynn,
Mass, and he got her of Mr.. A. F. Breed |
of said Lynn, in exchange for a gray
mare. | sold the mare to George W. !